The present invention relates to an adaptive escape-route system for use in a building, buildings, building complexes, and related structures in which an event, such as the release of a chemical, biological, and/or nuclear agent, requires the immediate evacuation of the building(s) or building complex in such a way that the evacuating occupants move away from the locus of the release and, more particularly, move away from the locus of the release and from any regions, areas, etc. into which the released agents may spread or disperse between the time of the initial release and the eventual full or substantially full evacuation of the building(s) or building complex.
Historically, all buildings and building complexes include emergency exit signage that point to the nearest available building exit to be used in the event of an emergency, typically a fire. Thus, when an emergency occurs, an occupant or occupants can look to the existing signage for the nearest exit, typically a fire-safe and ventilated stairwell that leads outwardly of the building. The expectation is that the occupant or occupants will be directed to an exit, typically the nearest exit, and be able to exit the building or building complex in the shortest possible time.
The nature of chemical, biological, and nuclear agent threats is such that a toxic, injurious, or lethal agent in a gaseous, vapor, aerosol, or particulate form can be released within a building or building complex at an initial location and can then spread or disperse within the building or building complex by numerous routes to one or more other locations in the building or building complex. The released agent can spread or disperse along hallways and corridors, in above-ceiling and below-floor spaces, and through various ventilation shafts and the like. More threatening, however, is dispersal through air-moving systems, including the forced-air ducting associated with fresh-air ventilation, heated-air distribution, and chilled-air distribution systems, that can move air from one location in the building to another location remote from the first location. Thus, the release of a toxic, injurious, or lethal agent at one location in the building can be distributed within the building or building complex to other, secondary locations by diffusion in the ambient air as well as by the air-handling systems.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention, among others, to provide an adaptive escape routing system for use in buildings and building complexes in which the initial detection of the release of a toxic, injurious, or lethal agent causes an identification of those exits that lead away from the area of the initial release and, optionally, any areas, locations, etc. in which the released agent can spread to, disperse to, or be conveyed to during at least that period of time necessary to achieve a full evacuation of the occupants.
The present invention advantageously provides an adaptive escape routing system for use in buildings and building complexes in which a plurality of detectors or detector suites are situated throughout the building or building complex. The detectors are designed to detect the release of toxic, injurious, and/or agents, such as nuclear, biological, or chemical agents, in any form (including gaseous, vaporous, aerosol or particulate form) and communicate their detection status to a central controller. The detector suites can also monitor air pressure, air flows, and, if desired, the detector suites can also include the capability of detecting heat/smoke associated with fire and/or the capability of detecting an explosion or ballistic impact.
The central controller, which may take the form of a programmed computer, includes information as to the location of all sensors within the building or building complex, exit or other signage, air-movement pathways within the building or building complex, and information as to pressure and pressure differentials within the building or building complex. The air-movement pathways can include, for example, hallways, corridors, above-ceiling spaces, below-the-floor spaces (typical of computer rooms), ventilation shafts, and all air-handling ducting/conduits associated with ventilation, heating, and air-conditioning systems. In addition, the central controller includes modeling software that can forward-model dispersion or dispersion patterns from the initial or primary release point to other secondary locations based upon a priori information as to the building(s) configuration.
Upon the detection of a release, the controller identifies all air-movement pathways that are xe2x80x9cconnectedxe2x80x9d to or coupled to the locus of the release (i.e., air-movement pathways into which the released agent can move) and then identifies those exits within the locus of the release. Exit signage is then identified as xe2x80x9cdon""t usexe2x80x9d signage or identified as xe2x80x9cuse-for-exitxe2x80x9d signage. Once the xe2x80x9cdon""t usexe2x80x9d exits are identified, the central controller provides appropriate commands to the various xe2x80x9cdon""t usexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cuse-for-exitxe2x80x9d signs (and, optionally, to audio annunciators) to indicate exits that lead away from the locus of the release.
Optionally, the central controller can be provided with an increment of xe2x80x9clook aheadxe2x80x9d capabiltiy that can forward-model the dispersal path or paths of any gaseous, vaporous, aerosol, or particulate release during the period of time in which complete evacuation can be expected and designate those exits that have a higher probability of xe2x80x9cconnectingxe2x80x9d to the modelled dispersal pattern as xe2x80x9cdon""t usexe2x80x9d exits. The identification of the exits in the projected dispersal path or pattern thus creates a set of xe2x80x98bufferxe2x80x99 exits between those xe2x80x9cdon""t usexe2x80x9d exits identified immediately after a release and those exits most likely to remain safe during that time period necessary to achieve a full evacuation of the building or building complex. The pattern of safe exit routes can be changed, in real time, based upon the on-going sensor inputs, the modeling results or both.
As a further option, the central controller can be provided with the capability of handling multiple simultaneous or near-simultaneous releases within a building or building complex and identifying the xe2x80x9cdon""t usexe2x80x9d exits and those exits having the lowest probability of exposing the evacuating occupants to the released agents from any of the different release points.
In its simplest form, the system can be used in the context of a single-story building in which the identification of dispersal pathways or patterns can be addressed as a two-dimensional problem. In more sophisticated contexts, the system can be used in large multi-story buildings or in building complexes in which multiple buildings may be interconnected by shared concourses, basements and sub-basements, underground parking garages, and above-ground skyways or walkways. In these more sophisticated contexts, the identification of dispersal pathways or patterns can be addressed as a three-dimensional problem.
Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are designated by like reference characters.